So yesterday was my first day of auditions for Orange Murder Suit.
It's weird to hear the words out loud for the first time--I'm still not used to it. I think it's going to be a really good play.
In other news, I'm sick. I got hit with what I think is a stomach flu. My wife took my temperature this morning and it was 100.4--which wasn't as bad as it was when I first woke up.
Last night, in the middle of this heat wave, I was shivvering, if you can believe it.
Also, I was fighting off nausea and fever dreams. I kept having the same dream over and over, where I had to move rocks back and forth from one location to another.
So I'm home from work today. With any luck, I'll feel better by the time I have to hold auditions today.
Ugh. Okay, done typing now.
posted by Rob on 9:02 AM |
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[ Thursday, July 25, 2002 ]
"S.D. Plissken. American Lieutenant. Special Forces Unit, Black Flight. Two Purple Hearts, Leningrad and Siberia. Youngest man to be decorated by the President. You robbed the federal reserve depository. Life sentence, New York Maximum Security Penitentiary. I'm ready to kick your ass out of the world, War Hero."
For no reason.
No reason whatsoever.
Other than it's cool.
Here's the script to Escape From New York.
posted by Rob on 3:32 PM |
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[ Tuesday, July 23, 2002 ]
Joel Gersmann, for those of you who don't know, is the artistic director of Broom Street Theater.
Recently, he had double bypass surgery.
Got this email from Brian Wild yesterday:
As many of you know, Joel had to go back into surgery last Friday. He has a massive infection, and was kept under sedation for 48 hours, finally waking up yesterday (July 21st). He is still in ICU at this time.
This is still considered a very serious condition, and they have him pumped up with antibiotics, but it appears he'll be in ICU for the foreseeable future.
In speaking with Jerri Ager, she would like to put in place a 24-hour support system for Joel, so that someone is with him at all times. Usually only immediate family is allowed into the ICU, but Jerri and several others have made it clear to the medical staff that the people who are coming up to see him, even though they are not related by blood, are Joel's family.
As I said earlier, Joel is not out of the woods with this surgery as of yet, and anybody who can afford to give some support in this would be greatly appreciated. Please pass this to people who know Joel well, and would be willing to help out.
Brian
posted by Rob on 10:32 AM |
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[ Thursday, July 18, 2002 ]
Happy happy.
Joy, joy.
For a full account of my meeting Mike Heppner and Chuck Palahniuk, check out my report on Unrealistic Expectations.
posted by Rob on 4:33 PM |
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[ Wednesday, July 17, 2002 ]
Here's a haiku I wrote for WWDN:
Using words that hurt
is wrong and shameful to do,
you cocksucking fuck.
Anyone who lives in Madison and wants to join me in seeing Chuck Palahniuk today at the University Bookstore should send me an email.
When come bring back pie.
posted by Rob on 12:01 PM |
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[ Tuesday, July 16, 2002 ]
Before I forget, my favorite author, Chuck Palahniuk is going to be in town tomorrow, at 7:00 pm at University Book Store on State Street, for a talk, Q&A, and signing.
I had a dream about going there last week, and making an ass out of myself in front of Chuck Palahniuk. I woke up, relieved that it didn't actually happen, andthat since it appears that my body has this deep need to make an ass out of itself, it's nice that that impulse is out of my system.
I hope.
(Please don't say anything stupid.)
(Please don't say anything stupid.)
Hey, G.I. Joe used to say that knowing was half the battle.
Elliot Ness, on the other hand, pointed out that losing is half the battle, too.
posted by Rob on 3:16 PM |
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[ Monday, July 15, 2002 ]
So I tell Doug Reed about my chance meeting with Debra Neff Nathans.
His response:
At the risk of never receiving a positive Cap Times review again, I stand by my statement.
"Sonata For Internet" was to "Chat Room" what "Lassie" is to "Jello". Anyone who would equate the two could use a lesson in theatre the way Ted Williams could use a hot-water bottle.
I had no idea, however, that she would remove her shoes and have you physically count her toes. In the future, I will refer to female critics as "three-breasted morons".
In other news, I'm now selling posters for Orange Murder Suit. It's a larger version of the web version, obviously, but with more detail and lines from the show on it.
And because I loved their production of "Psycho Beach Party," here's a link to Bialystock and Bloom's web site. They're sort of like Broom Street, but with a budget.
Not a big budget, but a budget.
posted by Rob on 10:17 AM |
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[ Thursday, July 11, 2002 ]
Check it out, mother beetches.
The web poster image for Orange Murder Suit:
Neat, huh?
Oh, and, due to illness, the role of Spudnuts will be played by Christopher Walken.
posted by Rob on 10:54 AM |
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[ Wednesday, July 10, 2002 ]
So last month I caught the closing night of "Sebastian and the Tattooed Love Librarian," by local theater critic Debra Neff Nathans, which had my friends Nathan and Dave in it.
It was a hoot, although for my wife it was a white-knuckler, considering the show is about a (as we call it in WWDN) "Fun Person Hag," which Betsy really was for...well, pretty much until she got married to her first husband.
Oh, and I would be remiss in my duties as a writer if I did not mention that as Debra Neff Nathans ran up to the stage to hug her cast, she zigged when she shoulda zagged and ended up accidentally mooning the audience. (She told me to tell y'all that.)
So I'm at the strike, which is also sort of the cast party, when Debra Neff Nathans (I'm mentioning her name a lot so that this comes up in a Google search) comes up to me and says:
"Hey, do me a favor. Count my toes."
What?
"Count my toes. Tell me how many toes I have." She kicks off her sandals.
Is this a test?
"Yeah, it's a test. Count my toes and tell me how many I have."
Um...I see ten toes.
"Really. That's interesting. Because on your website it says that I have six toes, and that I'm a slack-jawed, drooling moron."
I point out to her that it was, in fact, Doug Reed who said that.
But you know, she got me so good, that damned if I don't respect it.
She tells me that she ran across my site while on Google, and that she read my "Critical Blowback" section on her. Marvelling at my analysis of every little paragraph in the critic's reviews, she asked if I realized that the critics only have a short amount of time to write their reviews, and as a result, there's a limit to how much thought you can put into one.
I told her that if my writing "Critical Blowback" caused just one critic to put more thought into their writing, then I was doing my job.
I added, that if you're going to words out there...
"That's right," she said, "it's only fair."
And added, "well, I like your shows."
(Except one, I thought, but didn't say--although one of the actors from that show, Ethan Mutz, was standing by watching all of this.)
What all of us found so funny about the whole thing was how swimmingly we all got along, considering how outspoken I am about my hatred for the critics in town, and the fact that she had, once, slammed me in print. (Never mind that the show of mine she hated she saw on what was easily the worst night of the run--WE hated the show that night, too.)
She even admitted that she was somewhat worried about what I'd write in this blog, considering she didn't think I'd like it.
Why not? What, just because it doesn't have guns in it? This is a frequent misconception about me.
Everyone laughs, and Debra Neff Nathans and I become, officially, cool with each other.
Afterwards, Ethan and I go to his apartment and play Elevator Action.
By the way, in other news, I'm the Blog of the Day. Cool, huh?
posted by Rob on 10:02 AM |
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